on the Lord's Prayer. heard of. yet are they continually appearing before the .Thron:: of Grace on the ir bea half: A'nd thou who wouldft think it a great Favour tf thou werr inreretled in the Prayers offome who . are mighty in Prayer; and whom thou haft 1:..1~ged to recommend rhy Condition to God, mayert here have abundant Comfort, m t hat thou art nearly concerned and inrerefled in all the Prayers that art: pm up to God th roughout the whole World, by allthofe that are rnoft prevaleor at the Throne of Grace ; yea , which is more thou haft an lntereft in all the Prayers that have ever been preterred to Heaven by a!'! the SaintS from the beginningof the Worl~ unto this very Day: For not only this prefent Church, but the Cbtircb m all Ages, IS the Body of Clmft, and every Member ofit imitate!i the Pattern ofChriffs Inr.erce~on, Jobn I]. ~o. jVcitber pray !for rhefe alone, but for all t?if~ that fb_all belreve '".me. The Difference i,, that ChriR:'s lnterceffion was Authontattve, thetrs only Chantanve. · And thus much lliall fuffice to be fpoken concerning God's Goodnefs and Mercy, expreffed in thofe Words, Our Father. . . The next Expreffion fets forth his Glory and Greatnefs, Wbicb art in Heaven. But is not God everywhere prcf<nt! Doth he not fill Heaven, and Eanh, and all Things> Yea is it nor fa id, that the Heaven of Heaven$ cannot conram INm? How then are our Prayers to be dire8:ed tO God in Heaven only, fince he is as well on Earrh as in Heaven? And were he only in Heaven, and not everywhere prefent on Earth, it would be io vain for us to pray, becaufe our Prayers could never reach his Ears, nor arrive to his notice. . I Anjwcr, It is true, God is everywhere preferit, and all that we think, we think in him. and all that we fpeak, we fpeak unto him ; he underftands the filent Motion of o'ur Lips when we whifper a Prayer to him in our C~ofets; yea, the fecret Motions of our Hearts when we only think a Prayer. Therefore when our Saviour bids us direa our Prayers to our Father in Heaven, this doth nor imply thlt God is nowhere prefent, or that be nowhere hears Prayer, but only in Heaveh: But this Expreffion is ufed, . Firj/, Becaufe Heaven is the moftGlorious Place of God's Refidence, where he hath more efpecially eftablifhed his Throne of Grace, and tMre fits upon it. Now be\ caufe it is a moft Glorious and Majefi:ical Thing to hear the Suits, and receive the Pe~ titions, that are tendrcd to him, therefore the Scripture afcrihes it to the moft Glorious and Majefl:ical Place, and that is to Heaven. And therefore we are commanded to pray to our Fathtr which is in Heaven to keep alive a due Senfe of his Majelly upon our Hearts. He would not have us think it a Mean and Trivial Thing to have our Prayers heard, and therefore he reprefents himfelf to us atrayed in all his Glory, and fitting upon his Throne in the higheft Heavens, willing to be thought a God never more Glorious rhan when he is a God hea~il~g Prayer. Secondly, Our Prayers are diretled to our Father in Heaven; becaufe though he hears them. wherefoever they are unered, yet he nowhere hears them wirh Acceptance but only in Heaven; and the Reafon is, becaufe our Prayers are Acceptable only os they are prefi:nted before God through the lntercdlion of Chrift: Now Chrift performs his Mediawry Office only in Heaven; for he performs it in both Natures, as he is God and M•n, and fo he is only in Heaven, and therefore we are (!ill concerned to pray to our Fatber in Heaven. God indeed hears us upon Earth; for there is not a Word in our Tongue, but behold, 0 Lord; thou knoweft it alt~gctber ; but this will not avail us, unlefs God hears our Prayers a fecond Time, as repeated over in the Interceffion of Jefus Chri!l, and perfumed with the much lncenfe which he of: fers up with the Prayers of all the Saints. Since then we are dire8:ed to pray to our F'arber wbich is in Heaven, this, • Firjl, May inform us that there is no Circumfiance of Time or Place that can hinder us fi"om Praying ; for Heaven is over thee, and open to thee; wherefoever thou an:, there is no Clime fo remote which is not overfpread with that Pavillion; and thou an in all Places equally near to Heaven, and God is in it, fitting upon his Throne of ~race to receive and anfwer thy Requefis, wherefoev~r thou offereft them up un· to him. And therefore we find in the Scripture fome praying in God's Houre of Prayer, feme making their Houfes Houres of Prayer. Sr. Peter pray'd on the Hoof<· top when he fell into his Trance, Ifaac in tbl open Fields, our Saviour on a Mounta~n, 7onas in a Whale's Belly, JJbrabam's Servant in his Journey, and Afa in the midft of a tumultuous and bloody Battle; yea, whatfoever thou art doing thou mayeft pray, fo long as Heaven is over thee, and God in it: Whatfoever Company thou att in, whatfoever
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